Prelude Capital Management LLC Invests $280,000 in Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP)

Prelude Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KOP) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 8,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $280,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of KOP. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Koppers by 50.4% in the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,176 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 394 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in shares of Koppers by 122.1% in the first quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,006 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 553 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Koppers by 48.7% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,692 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Koppers in the first quarter worth approximately $88,000. Finally, BOKF NA purchased a new position in Koppers during the first quarter valued at approximately $104,000. 88.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Koppers Stock Up 7.7 %

KOP stock opened at $41.76 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $871.53 million, a PE ratio of 10.71 and a beta of 1.88. Koppers Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $20.11 and a 1-year high of $41.91. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.64.

Koppers (NYSE:KOP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.18. Koppers had a return on equity of 23.76% and a net margin of 3.93%. The business had revenue of $577.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $531.00 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.97 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Koppers Holdings Inc. will post 4.4 EPS for the current year.

Koppers Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 25th were issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 24th. Koppers’s dividend payout ratio is 6.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Koppers

In other Koppers news, CAO Bradley A. Pearce sold 2,998 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.45, for a total value of $115,273.10. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 29,128 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,971.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Koppers news, CAO Bradley A. Pearce sold 2,998 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.45, for a total value of $115,273.10. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 29,128 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,119,971.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Leslie S. Hyde sold 2,351 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $94,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 50,386 shares in the company, valued at $2,015,440. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 11,445 shares of company stock valued at $444,435 in the last ninety days. 7.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of Koppers in a report on Monday. B. Riley reissued a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Koppers in a report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Koppers in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

About Koppers

Koppers Holdings Inc provides treated wood products, wood preservation chemicals, and carbon compounds in the United States, Australasia, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Railroad and Utility Products and Services (RUPS), Performance Chemicals (PC), and Carbon Materials and Chemicals (CMC).The RUPS segment procures and treats crossties, switch ties, and various types of lumber used for railroad bridges and crossings.